Crossing guard charged with stealing $130K from 88-year-old man

A school crossing guard in Quincy has been charged with stealing nearly $130,000 from an 88-year-old man.

Robert Sears

A school crossing guard has been charged with stealing nearly $130,000 from an 88-year-old man.

Lorraine M. Annessi, 50, of 31 Berkley St., is accused of stealing the money using credit cards and checks belonging to the West Quincy man over six months beginning in August.

Annessi, a school crossing guard in North Quincy, was put on unpaid leave after the man’s family brought their suspicions to police, and an investigation began early in February, Police Chief Robert Crowley said.

She pleaded innocent at her arraignment Friday in Quincy District Court. She is charged with larceny of more than $250 by false pretense and larceny from a person over 65.

Annessi is accused of stealing approximately $127,000, part of which she allegedly obtained by “manipulating” the man into cashing checks, Detective Jason MacIsaac said in a report on file at Quincy District Court.

The alleged thefts involved checks and credit cards from several banks including Bank of Boston, Eastern Bank and Citizens Bank. Annessi allegedly forged the victim’s signature dozens of times.

She had been helping the man for about seven years, taking him shopping for food and to the bank, the post office and medical appointments, his son-in-law Kevin McInnis of Rockland said.

He said the man had been a business real estate broker before retiring. He declined to talk further about the case.

Much of the illegal activity occurred at Stop & Shop and CVS, according to the police report.

Police believe that Annessi had the man change his mailing address to a post office box in order to hide her criminal activity from him and his family, the report said.

At her arraignment, Annessi was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim and to return to court April 30.

She had no comment when contacted Monday. She referred questions to her lawyer, John McGlone III of Quincy.

Larceny by false pretense is punishable by a sentence of up to two years in a house of correction or a state prison sentence of not more than five years.

Larceny from a person carries a maximum house-of-correction sentence of 2½ years or a state-prison sentence of up to five years.